


The Top of Your Lungs (The Bottom of Your Heart)

by peachchild



Category: The Hobbit RPF
Genre: How to Train Your Dragon AU, Infidelity, M/M, Modern AU, polyamorous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-16
Updated: 2014-02-16
Packaged: 2018-01-12 16:06:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1191231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachchild/pseuds/peachchild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aidan was chosen to be a Dragon-Slayer at a young age, and has studied to do just that his entire life. But the older he gets, the less well it sits with him - this mindless slaughter of creatures they understand almost nothing about. When he meets (and injures) a Fire-Dragon on the hillside one day, he makes a snap decision, to take care of it instead of killing it. The secret is just his, until it isn't, and secrets kept and told can change things, maybe more than Aidan is ready to deal with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Top of Your Lungs (The Bottom of Your Heart)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my lovely beta, Kendra, who has been infinitely helpful, and my very, very patient [artist](), who dealt with me waiting till the very last minute to do anything I needed to do. 
> 
> Title shamelessly stolen from an Alkaline Trio [song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l89dVl64Fk8), as usual.

Aidan fell face first onto his bed with a groan. “Graham is actually going to kill me,” he complained, voice muffled by his pillow. He turned his head so he could see his roommate. “Like, honestly. How does he expect us to run drills like that all morning and afternoon _and_ every night? We’ll have nothing left for when the dragons actually come.”

Dean sat down on his own bed and toed his shoes off, grinning at him. He had dirt smudging his left eyebrow and under his cheekbone. “The point is to build our stamina, Aid. So when they come, we’re ready to stand and face them.”

Aidan rolled over onto his back. “I get that. I just hate it.”

“No, you’re just lazy.”

“I’m not,” he sniffed defensively. “I just have no interest in killing dragons.”

“Right, you think they’re beautiful or something.”

“They are. Just because something is deadly doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful as well.”

“Like me?” Dean winked. 

Aidan snorted. “You’re such an arsehole.”

“You love me.” He emphasized the declaration by padding across the room and crawling into his bed, fitting himself snug between Aidan and the wall. 

“God, Dean, you’re stinking up my whole bed.”

“You’re doing a pretty good job of that yourself.” Dean leaned on his hand, smiling at him, and Aidan did his very best to look steadily back and _not_ think of him being incredibly beautiful, with his dimples and his Cheshire cat mouth and long eyelashes. Because that would only feed his ego. “Seriously, you did great with your swordwork today. Have you been practicing?”

“A bit.” Aidan shrugged. “Not like anyone noticed, with the little prodigy there.”

“Hey, Richard’s really nice.”

“Yeah, he is.” He sighed and stretched and ignored the way Dean’s hand came to rest against his belly. “That’s why I’m so annoyed with him. It’s actually impossible to not like him.”

“Helps that he’s hot.”

“Being hot doesn’t help _you_ any.”

“You think I’m hot?” Dean grinned. It bordered on wolfish.

Aidan groaned and rolled onto his side away from him. “Well, you would be if you weren’t such a cocky bastard.” Still, he smiled when Dean slid up snug against his back, nuzzling in at his neck, his fingers dipping into his shorts. “And if you shaved that fucking beard. You’re giving me a rash.”

“So much complaining today.” Dean backed off, kissed his hair. “What’s up, Aid?”

Aidan wiggled over onto his back again and then over to face Dean, tugged at Dean’s arm so he’d lay down beside him, their noses almost touching, “I was just - I walked past the corral today.”

“Yeah?”

He hummed. “They’re bringing in dragons, for training. I could hear them. They sounded sad and scared.”

“Well, yeah, they were in a big dark truck. They have no idea where they are.”

“Right. And when they get out, they’ll be scared and attack us because they’re scared, and we’re going to kill them and tell ourselves that we have to kill them because otherwise they’ll kill us.”

“Don’t you think they sometimes have the same thought? We have to kill them, before they kill us? We’re a constant danger to each other, Aid.”

“But I don’t think it has to be like that. I’ve been reading about them and-”

“Aidan…” Dean’s voice was a sigh, and he twined his fingers in Aidan’s curls, drew him in to kiss him. “I know you want to change things. But we’re dragon-slayers. We have been since we were born. If you’re not careful, you could get yourself arrested.”

“It’s not like I’m planning to set them free in the village, Dean.”

“I know that but -”

“Just forget it, okay? Forget I said anything. It was stupid.” Aidan rolled over off the bed.

“Where are you going?”

“Take a shower. You gonna join me?”

* * * 

They were quiet, the water drumming down over them, and Dean felt the start of a fight settling in his stomach, like a sickness, and he hated it. He pressed a kiss to Aidan’s collarbone. “Can I wash your hair?” he asked carefully.

Aidan, like always, smiled with one side of his mouth. “Can you reach?” he teased.  
The tension in Dean’s stomach uncoiled. “Dick.”

“Arsehole.” He handed over the shampoo, and tipped his head forward so Dean could scratch his fingers through his curls, scrub the soap into a lather. 

“Aid, you know I agree with you, about the dragons,” Dean said quietly, under the sound of the water. “I just feel like, until we’re out of the Academy, we need to keep our heads down. We can do all the changing-the-world we want once we’re out, when we don’t have everyone watching us.”

Aidan snorted, his eyes closed, fingers curled around Dean’s hips to keep his balance. “No one’s watching me anyway. I’m a shite dragon-slayer.”

“You’d be a great one if you wanted to be.”

“I suppose motivation is key.”

Dean slid his hand under his jaw, tipping his head back under the stream of water to rinse out the soap and grime. “You hear what I’m saying though, right?”

“Yeah, I get it.” Aidan tilted Dean’s head up by his chin. “Thank you, for not turning me in, or thinking I’m insane.” 

Dean curled his arms around his waist, smiling. “Well, I still think you’re insane, so.” 

“Shut up.” 

“Make me.”

If that wasn’t an invitation, Aidan had never heard one, so he kissed him, his hand framing his face, holding him in tight against him. Dean’s fingers pressed hard against his back, and he backed him up until Aidan’s back was pressed against the cool shower wall. Dean rocked up onto the balls of his feet, demanding the kiss be his, tipping his head to roll his tongue against Aidan’s, and Aidan felt it down to his toes.

“Guys, if you’re having sex in the shower again, so help me there will be blood.” 

They broke apart with a laugh, and Aidan tipped his head back when Dean nosed in to mouth along his throat. “Would you like to join us, Adam?”

“As tempting as that is, and really, it’s about as tempting as having my teeth pulled, if you could free up the stall please? There are two of us out here waiting.”

“You two could always share,” Dean suggested with his mouth against Aidan’s soap-clean skin. 

A decidedly awkward silence was their response, and they shared a look, rolled their eyes and turned the water off. When they stepped out of the stall, wrapped in their towels, they found a murderous Adam glowering at them, and an uncomfortable Richard looking pointedly at the ceiling.

Aidan winced and Dean pulled his lips between his teeth in an effort to not laugh. They both murmured their apologies on the way out of the bathroom, and by the time they got to their room, they were laughing outright. “I actually thought Adam was going to kill us this time,” Aidan said mock-solemnly.

“Yeah, well, Richard was just going to try to melt into the floor.” Dean rubbed his towel over his hair. “Oh, god, we probably scarred him for life. We’ll never see him again. He’s going to ask Graham for one-on-one training for the rest of the year so he doesn’t have to see us.”

“Oh, Jesus, I hope not. Can you imagine? We would never get to see that adorable face again.” 

“I _knew_ you fancied him!”

“Oh, like you don’t. He’s the best swordsman in our class, and that completely turns you on.” 

“It does. It’s positively phallic, how he holds his sword.”

Aidan cackled, snapping the waistband of Dean’s boxers as he walked by. “Crude.”

“You love it.” 

“Yes, I do.”

* * * 

Aidan woke early, as the sun began to shoot its first orange rays across his bed. He tried valiantly to go back to sleep, lulled by the soft early-morning glow of the room and Dean’s arm slung across his waist, his breath warm against his neck. In the end, he couldn’t manage it, and slid very carefully out of the bed. Dean mumbled in his sleep and then rolled into the space Aidan had occupied, nuzzling into the pillow, which just made Aidan’s heart do all sorts of embarrassing things he wasn’t going to think about. He pulled the blanket up around his shoulders and kissed his temple before sneaking out to the bathroom to get dressed. 

Fifteen minutes later, he was trudging across campus toward the hills, his bow slung across his back and a packed lunch in his messenger bag. The sun was now shining boldly over the hills, against a sky softening from red into purple toward blue. The breeze brushed across him, kept him cool as he hiked up over the rises, descended into the valleys. There was a particular pool where he liked to fish, because the fish were stupid - lazy and slow from decades of not seeing a single human on the shores. Aidan spent a lot of slow mornings sitting on its beach, dozing, sometimes fishing, letting the rapids rushing through his thoughts calm.

When Aidan crested the last hill and started the slide-run down the steep slope into the valley, he saw movement on the edge of the pool. He skidded to a stop, let the dirt settle around his feet. The hair at the back of his neck raised, his shoulders tensed. He unclipped his bow from his back, let it slide into his hand, and had an arrow notched in it in the next moment. He chose his steps carefully, the muscles of his forearms taut, ready to draw his bow into position. Dean said he was the best archer in their class; he was pretty sure he was right. Now was as a good a time as any to find out.

A flash of dark wings over the trees, and Aidan took his shot - one sure arrow - and he did not miss.

The dragon went crashing through the trees and underbrush, until he heard it splash at the edge of the lake, emitting a low, pained wail. Aidan chased it down, managed to dodge out of the way of a panicked spit of fire that set the tree behind him ablaze. The dragon didn’t try again, and Aidan stood breathless before it, because _here was a dragon_ \- and not one of those puppy-sized lizards they presented as practice in drills - but a _fire_ dragon. He was young, not big by dragon standards, only about the length of two horses standing head-to-tail - though Aidan could only imagine his wingspan - but his scales were solid black, caught the light ricocheting off the water, and glistened. His eyes, gold, were deep-set, watching Aidan with all the wariness any wounded animal might. 

Aidan swallowed, met his eyes. He knew he should run back to the Academy, get Graham or Ian or Evangeline - get anyone who might know how to kill a dragon better than he did. He knew he could kill this dragon right now, with an arrow between its eyes, and run back to show them that he _could_ be a dragon-slayer, that it wasn’t just fear that stopped his hand. 

Instead, he laid down his bow, slung his quiver off his back and laid it beside it, then crouched down, held up his hands as a sign of peace. He wasn’t sure if a dragon would understand it the same way a human might, but after a moment, full of growling and suspicion and a surety on Aidan’s end that he was about the be reduced to ash, his expression cleared, and he slid his tail across the dirt toward Aidan, displaying the arrow wound.

Aidan knew, at once, that this dragon had not grown up in the wild. He knew, as he snapped off the arrow and bandaged the wound, that this dragon was all too comfortable with humans. “Where did you come from?” he murmured, smoothing his hand over his scales. “Who set you loose, I wonder?” 

He did end up fishing, if only to feed the dragon, and Aidan could guess his age by the fact that his teeth weren’t yet exposed - under two years, probably. An adolescent. He decided to call him Toothless. He decided to keep him a secret.

* * * 

“Help, help! There’s a stranger in my room!” Dean mock-yelled when Aidan walked through the door. “He looks vaguely familiar but the person I think he is ran away to join the circus two weeks ago!”

“Oh, shut up,” Aidan laughed, scratching his fingers through Dean’s hair as he passed.

Dean leaned back in his desk chair until it creaked, spun it to watch him move around the room. “Where’ve you been, man? I’ve barely seen you at all.” 

“Please, we have class together.”

“Yeah, but seeing you in class requires you _showing up_ to class. Listen, Aid, I know you’ve been having kind of an existential crisis about the dragon-slayer thing, but that doesn’t mean -”

“Okay, dad, I’ve got it.” Aidan wiggled out of his jeans, chose a t-shirt at random to pull on to sleep in. “I promise, everything’s alright. I just had to work through some stuff. I’m back now.” 

“What have you been doing?” 

“Just fishing and stuff. You know.”

“For _two weeks_?”

“Don’t act like we haven’t seen each other at all, Dean.”

“We haven’t.” Dean pushed himself out of his chair, slung himself onto his bed. Aidan couldn’t remember the last time they’d slept together, and a stab of guilt caught him just under the ribs. “You’re asleep when I come in, you’re gone when I wake up. Are you angry with me?”

“ _No_.” Aidan sat down Dean’s bed, ran his fingers through his hair. “Dean, I promise, it’s nothing to do with you. You’re perfect. Still an arsehole, but perfect.”

Dean curled his arms around his waist, nuzzling against his hip. “You’d tell me, though, if you were angry with me?”

“I would, of course.”

“And you’re not?”

“ _Dean_.”

“Sorry, sorry, I’m done.” He rolled onto his back, holding his hands up. “I’ve just missed you.”

Aidan slid down to lay beside him, rolling over to curl up against his side. “I’m sorry. I’m here now though, yeah?” 

“Yeah, I s’pose.” 

Aidan wasn’t actively trying to shut Dean out. He just wasn’t sure how to tell him that he had found a _dragon_ and that the dragon was _tame_. The wound healed, which was a relief because though Toothless could fly with his tail out of commission, it was difficult for him to direct himself. He ended up crashing into the hillsides or splashing down into the water, and Aidan would always laugh when he came slithering back to him, snake-like, demanding fish as his reward for trying.

Toothless snuffled about, nosing at Aidan’s backpack, knowing there was meat inside. Aidan held it out of his reach as best he could. “Alright, alright, I’ve got some beef for you. I figured you might want something more than fish today.” He unwrapped the pack of it, held it flat in his hands, and Toothless gobbled it down, paper and all, took on the sated look of a well-fed cat. Aidan rubbed him between the eyes. “Let’s try something new today,” he murmured, and Toothless just butted his head up into his hand. 

He ran his hand over the dragon’s scales, walked slowly down his side, and quickly, before he could overthink it, swung his leg up and over his back, perching with his knees hugging him just behind his wings. Toothless shifted, spread his wings, and the joint made a perfect handhold. “Alright,” Aidan murmured, taking a deep breath. “So far, so good, eh?”

Next thing he knew, Toothless was lifting those wings, bringing them down in a harsh _whoosh!_ that sent the trees bending and cracking, the water on the lake rippling. Aidan held tight with his legs and scrambled for purchase for his hands. His hair blew back from his face, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes, and the sky seemed suddenly looming, an unavoidable collision course, until there was _only sky_. They tore through clouds, wove between the hills. Birds startled and went shrieking out of their way. Aidan felt a scream starting at the base of his throat; he didn’t know if what he was feeling was terror or elation.

Afterwards, when they landed, when he went tumbling from the dragon’s back, he dozed in the grass, his face windburned and his lungs full of sky, and when he woke, he was smiling. 

* * * 

“Aidan’s been really distracted lately,” Adam commented, pulling his arm across his chest to stretch it. He nodded in his direction. “You know, he missed almost every mark today? It’s like he’s never held a bow before.” 

Richard frowned in his direction, dragging the whetting soul across the blade of his dagger. “I didn’t notice.” He did, of course, because it was very hard not to notice Aidan and Dean - the solid confidence with which they carried themselves, the sure smiles they shared across the field.

“You didn’t hear Graham just about taking his head off for it?” Adam grinned, bending to touch his toes, groaning at the stretch in his calves. “Remind me to give him shit later, yeah? Because someone’s got to, honestly.” 

“You don’t think Dean will?”

“Ah, Dean always gives him shit. This has got to be a special kind of shit-giving.” 

Richard smiled despite himself. “I see.”

“Yeah.” Adam hopped in place a couple times. “I’m heading to dinner. You want to join me?”

Richard almost didn’t hear him, too busy watching Aidan kiss Dean goodbye before they separated. “Nah, I think I’m going to practice for a while.”

“Suit yourself. See you later.”

* * * 

Toothless bounded out of his cave the moment he smelled Aidan, which was from far enough away that he was able to swoop up the hillside and let Aidan jump on his back for a turn around the hills before dropping him beside the lake, nuzzling at his bag to get at the treats he knew were inside. The pressure almost knocked him over, and he yelped with laughter, stumbling. “You’re almost too big to do that,” he scolded, nudging him away with his elbow. “Alright, I’ve got some yummies for you. Just hold on.”

“Aidan!”  
The scales along Toothless’s back bristled, and Aidan tensed. He looked up, and there was Richard, sword held taut before his face, teeth pressed tight. He trembled, eyes wide, but he crept down the hillside toward them anyway, dirt crumbling beneath his feet. “Aidan, step away. Slowly.”

Aidan took a deep breath, held up his hands. “Rich, it’s okay.”

“You are standing next to a _dragon_.”

“Yeah, and he hasn’t exactly ripped my head off or anything, has he?” 

Toothless was crouched low to the ground, eyes narrowed, following the deadly glimmer of the sword approaching him.

“Look, Rich, just put the sword down and -”

“Are you seriously asking me to put down the only defense I have -”

“You don’t need it!”

“- against a _fire dragon_?”

Toothless moved for the first time, and Richard’s arms jerked in response, following him. The dragon slowly crept away, still clearly aware of the danger. He disappeared into his cave, his tail sliding and whipping out of sight, the last hint that he had been there at all.

Aidan brought his teeth together with a sharp click. “He’s gone, alright? Can we put the sword down?”

“He could come back.”

“Yeah, well, he’s not going to. You’ve scared him.” 

Richard let out a bark of laughter so uncharacteristic that Aidan could only assume he was terrified. And he supposed he couldn’t blame him. “ _I_ scared _him_? He could turn me to ash.”

“Yeah, and he didn’t.”

He had nothing to say in response so he didn’t speak.

“Will you at least let me explain?”

A long moment passed in which Aidan was sure that Richard was going to run back to the Academy, tell their trainers, and he would return with the authorities, swarming down to arrest Aidan and kill Toothless. 

Instead, he sheathed his sword, and Aidan breathed for the first time. 

* * * 

Richard took a deep breath, plucked Aidan’s cigarette from his fingers to take a long drag from it. His eyes hadn’t left the opening of that cave since Toothless had gone inside. 

“That’s… a lot,” he admitted. “You’ve been coming here almost a _month_? And no one’s noticed?”

“Well, Dean.” Aidan shrugged.

“Right. Have you told him?”

“I haven’t told anyone,” which was easier than just saying no. “I didn’t want to make this anyone else’s responsibility.” 

“But _Dean_.”

“I know, alright?” Aidan scrubbed his hands through his hair, frustrated. “And he knows something’s up. I see it in his face every day.” He rubbed the back of his sunburned neck. “I know he’s thinking the worst too.”

“What’s the worst?”

“That it’s him. And it’s not him, at all. I sort of love him.” He wrinkled up his nose. “But don’t tell him that, alright? He’d never let me hear the end of it.”

Richard twisted his mouth up, swallowing. He changed the subject. “What will you do if someone finds out?” 

“I’m trying to figure that out right now.” Aidan nudged Richard pointedly with his shoulder. “What made you come out here anyway? Were you following me?”

“A bit.”

“Why?”

“Something just seemed… off. With you, I mean.” Richard twitched a shoulder up. “I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“Rich, we’ve barely even _spoken_.”

“I know. I was kind of looking for an excuse to spend time with you,” he admitted. “Dean too. I like you both.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“You’re a bit hard to approach.”

“We really don’t try to be.” 

“Did I mention I’m not very _good_ at approaching people?”

Aidan grinned at that. “Well, the approaching has been taken care of. We are officially mates.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yep. Secrets do that.” He paused. “Well. If you plan to keep it a secret. Guess I’m being sort of presumptuous there.”

“I’m not going to tell anyone.” Richard touched his arm. “We’re friends after all.” 

* * * 

“So I know you and Toothless didn’t get off to a great start.” Aidan led the way down the pass toward the lake. “But if you’re willing to keep the sword sheathed, I could introduce you again.”

Richard picked his way after him. The quirk of his eyebrow was skeptical at best. “He’s seriously never tried to hurt you?” 

“Aside from when I found him, no. He tried to torch me.”

“ _What_?”

“Considering I’d just shot him out of the sky, I think the response was pretty valid.” 

Richard whistled. “No one else in class can shoot a moving target.” 

“I know.” Aidan grinned over his shoulder. “It really is too bad for all of you that I don’t want to be a dragon-slayer.”

“As long as you use your powers for good, I don’t care what you do.” Richard paused. “You really don’t think he’ll try to hurt me?”

“I really don’t.” Aidan took his hand, squeezed his fingers. “Come on.” 

Their steps were slow, because Richard dragged them back, wary, his thumb brushing every once in a while against the hilt of his sword. Toothless emerged slowly, a dark blur shifting into the light. Richard stopped, tensed, his breath sucked sharp in his lungs, and Toothless did the same, his gaze flickering between the man he trusted and the man who didn’t trust him.

“It’s okay,” Aidan assured quietly, pressing Richard forward with a hand on the small of his back. “It’s okay. Just…” He took his hand and, when Toothless bowed his head, rested it between his eyes. 

Toothless snorted, a soothed sound, and Richard laughed on an exhale, looking over at Aidan. “I’m - he’s a _dragon_. I’m actually touching a dragon, and the dragon isn’t trying to kill me.”

“I told you.”

“Have you named him?”

“Mm. I call him Toothless.”

Richard, smart as he was, caught on. “So he’s not fully grown yet. You could _train_ him.”

“I could, yeah.”

He shuffled slightly closer to Toothless, let his hands run over his scales. Aidan couldn’t help but grin at him. “You know, he’s always been like this. I didn’t have to tame him or anything. Makes me feel like someone’s been keeping him and set him loose.”

“Well, that’s good news for you, isn’t it? Means you’re not the only insane person in the world that thinks dragons shouldn’t be killed.”

“I’m starting to think a lot of people think that way.” He quirked an eyebrow, tone pointed. 

Richard rolled his eyes, even as a smile quirked his mouth. “How does Dean feel about all of it?”

“Oh.” Aidan shrugged, looked away. “I think, philosophically, we’re on the same page. But he mostly worries that I’m going to get myself arrested.”

“Valid worry.”

“Maybe. What about you?”

“Hm?”

“How do you feel about this? You’re sort of the top of our class dragon-slayer, and you’re currently rubbing a dragon behind the ears…” 

“I dunno.” Richard ran his hand down Toothless’s side. “I mean. I’m training to be a dragon-slayer because I’m good at it, you know? I’ve never thought about doing anything else. Not sure what else I would do.”

“You could go on the lamb with me as a dragons’ rights activist.”

“Sounds romantic,” he quipped dryly.

“Yeah, I definitely know how to win a guy over.”

* * * 

“You want to feed him?” 

“ _What_?”

Aidan laughed. “Do you want to feed Toothless? I brought some meat for him.” 

“Yeah?” Richard pushed himself to his feet, wiping his hands on his jeans, and wandered over to where Aidan was digging through his backpack. Toothless was snuffling about in the grass near the lake, eying the water for any fish stupid enough to breach the surface in the presence of a dragon. “He won’t bite me?”

“You know, someday, you’re actually going to have to believe me when I tell you he has absolutely no interest in eating you.”

“I do.” Richard laughed. “But even a cat will bite you if you put your hand too close to its food.”

“That’s true. That’s why you hold your hands flat. Like you’re feeding a horse. Here.” He beckoned Richard over, the parcel of meat in hand. Toothless caught the scent and was turning toward him, slithering up and nuzzling at his hands. “Hold on, hold on,” Aidan scolded, pushing his head away, so cavalierly that Richard blanched. “Come here.” He took Richard’s hand, put the meat into it. He pulled a face at the feeling of it, but let Aidan guide his hands until Toothless was snuffling happily into them, closing his lips surprisingly delicately around the meat and pulling it into his mouth. His lips nuzzled against the palms of Richard’s hands, and he laughed breathlessly, taking another moment to think about how very surreal this was. Then, like a possessive dog, he ran off to eat it where they couldn’t get at it. 

Aidan grinned at him, clapped him on the back. “We’re going to face all of your fears before long.” 

“I’m not afraid of him.”

“No? The shaking in your boots is just for show then?”

“Shut up.” Richard shoved his shoulder, laughing. 

Aidan was suddenly caught by how lovely he was, the way his eyes crinkled up, the cut of his mouth when he smiled. He wondered how someone with so many sharp angles could be so soft. “Will you come tomorrow?”

Richard looked over at him, eyes keen, catching the color of the water and holding it, and Aidan knew what he was thinking, because he had never asked before. “Yeah. Of course.”

Aidan’s shoulders relaxed. “Good. I have a surprise for you.”

* * * 

Ninety-five percent of the time, Adam was a really nice guy, but the other five percent, he was a truly terrible gossip. And no matter how casual he tried to be about it, it was obvious when he had something on his mind, something he wanted to share. 

Right now, he plopped down on the grass beside Dean, and Dean eyed him for a moment before going back to the somewhat difficult task of lacing up his boots. 

Adam flipped his hair out of his eyes, leaning back on his hands. “So haven’t seen Aidan much lately.”

“No?”

“He’s been skipping class, yeah?”

“He was in archery this morning, and swordwork this afternoon.”

“Yeah.” Adam tilted his head from side to side. “I wonder if he and Richard have something going on.”

Dean broke the lace in his hand, cursed under his breath. “Why do you say that?”

“I just see them together a lot, is all.”

“They’re just friends.” Dean shrugged a shoulder. “People are allowed to be friends.”

“You’re right.” Adam lifted his hands, placating. “I just haven’t seen you two together much lately. Everything okay there?”

“It’s fine.” Dean knotted his laces, pushed himself to his feet. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

He walked away, ignoring the apology Adam called after him.

* * * 

“Absolutely not.” 

Aidan pursed his lips, his expression the most deadpan ever. “You’re doing it. I’ve got it all planned out.”

“Why did you think I would agree to this?” Richard gestured at Toothless. “You know I’m scared of him.”

“You told me yesterday that you _weren’t_ scared of him.”

“We both knew I was lying.”

Aidan sighed. “Listen. I’m going to ride with you. It’ll be fine. I’m not going to let you fall off or anything.” When Richard didn’t respond, he squeezed his wrist. “I’ll be right behind you, seriously. I’ve done this a lot.”

“You’re insane.” Richard shook his head, but still let Aidan help him clamor onto the dragon’s back. Toothless snorted and unfurled his wings, let them lay flat on the ground so that Aidan could climb up behind him. He settled his hand against Richard’s hip. 

“Alright, so hold onto his wings. It won’t hurt him.”

Richard slotted his hands into the space where his wings met his body, and Aidan pressed his heels into his sides, and then suddenly, with one great sweep of his wings, Toothless was off, with them clinging onto his back. Richard shouted out in surprise, but couldn’t hear it over the sound of Aidan’s laughter against his ear. 

They dipped up over the hills, and down through the next valley, and the wind sliced across their faces, and Richard couldn’t think because the sound of the sky burned into his ears, and Aidan continued to laugh, his body pressed up against Richard’s back, his arms curled around him, holding tight, and he wasn’t sure who was the reason for the swoop of joy in his stomach. 

When Toothless grew tired and circled down into their valley, Richard’s face hurt from the windburn and from the permanent smile. He smoothed his hands, aching from holding on, over the scales on the dragon’s back, and, after Aidan hopped down to the ground, let him help him down to his feet. His legs felt like they wouldn’t quite hold him, but it didn’t matter. His lungs felt too small in his chest, his heart stuttering a drumbeat against his ribs. 

Somewhere between the taste of the clouds and the surge of the air, and the crush of the sky against them, Richard lost his inhibitions, and when he kissed Aidan, his hands framing his face, his mouth firm and sure against his, his heart sang out when Aidan’s fingers curled into his shirt, and he lifted his face to kiss him back.

* * * 

Aidan winced as he turned his key in the lock of his room, trying to deaden the scrape of it so he wouldn’t wake Dean. The walk home had been agony, because with each step that brought him closer to the dormitory, the more the afternoon spent curled in the grass with Richard, exchanging kisses, smiling each time Richard nosed against his skin, pressed his mouth against his neck, settled deep in his stomach, a hot stone weighing him down.

He needn’t have worried about waking him, of course, because when he opened the door, the light was on, and Dean was lying in his bed, looking at him like he wasn’t sure who he was. Aidan locked the door behind him, toed off his shoes, and climbed into bed beside him, and the guilt prickled under his skin, at the same time that Dean’s fingers carding through his hair soothed him. 

“Will you be honest with me?” Dean asked quietly, and there was no accusation in his voice, no suspicion - only hurt and worry and weariness. 

Aidan’s throat knotted closed. “Of course.”

“Is this not what you want anymore? I mean, I know that we’re sort of casual; we never said that we were exclusive or anything but…”

“I want this,” Aidan expelled sharply. “Dean, I want you.”

“But… I mean, you and Richard. And you’ve been avoiding me so much.” 

“I haven’t been avoiding you.”

“Aidan, you told me you’d be honest with me.” 

He fell silent at that. 

Dean shifted over, sat up. Aidan watched the curve of his back as he scrubbed his hands over his face. “Look. If you want to not be with me, you just need to tell me.”

“I just told you -”

“Wanting _me_ and wanting to _be with_ me are very different, Aidan.” He looked over at him, and the soft orange glow of the lamp cast shadows across his face. “And it’s clear to me that you don’t want to be with me. I mean, Christ, I have Adam asking me when things ended between us. Did you think, if everyone else has noticed, that I wouldn’t?” He sucked in a breath, released it through his nose, and the tension in his shoulders vanished. “Like I said, I know we weren’t exclusive or anything. I just thought that you felt like I feel.”

Aidan thought about sitting up, but instead, he burrowed his head into the crook of his elbow. “And how do you feel?”

“God, Aidan, you know I love you.”

The feeling in his chest was nothing like soaring through the sky, holding tight to a dragon’s wings, but he felt a thousand feet from the ground anyway. “There’s something I have to show you.” 

* * * 

They stomped through the dewy grass and into the hills in their boots and pajamas. Aidan had pulled on one of Dean’s jumpers, and he huddled close to him, holding his hand, trying to pick his way along the path in the dark. Just before the descended into the valley, he turned to Dean, drew him in to press their mouths together. “Promise me you won’t freak out.”

“I have no idea how you expect me to make that promise when I have no idea what I’m walking into.”

“Just trust me.”

“Okay. I promise.”

Aidan beamed at him and pulled at his hand, dragging him down toward the lake. He whistled, a low vibration that barely echoed through the hills, and then the rustle near the cave. Dean’s shoulders went tense, as Aidan expected them to; it was almost drilled into them, to be wary of out-of-place sounds in the wild. He squeezed his hand reassuringly. “Everything’s alright. Remember: no freaking out.”

And then Toothless was creeping toward them, an inky smudge against the dark night, his head low like a cat. His eyes caught and reflected the light cast by the moon, the only indication there was a creature moving toward them. Dean made a strangled sound in his throat, and his hand flexed, like he was a moment from reaching for the sword he had strapped to his hip. His fingers went white-knuckled against Aidan’s. 

“Is that a dragon?” His voice was surprisingly even. All-in-all, this was going much better than it had with Richard.

Aidan nodded, watching his face. “His name is Toothless.”

“Toothless?”

“Yeah.”

“Because his teeth aren’t exposed yet?”

“You catch on fast, yeah.” 

Dean heaved a sigh, looked at Aidan. “You’ve been avoiding me because you have a _pet dragon_.”

He winced, swung their linked hands. “Kind of, yeah.”

“Jesus, Aidan.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want to get you involved. I thought if you didn’t know, you couldn’t get in trouble for it if we get caught.”

“‘We’? So Richard is in on this?”

“Sort of by accident.” Aidan shrugged, averted his eyes. “He kind of… followed me after training one day, ended up finding out, and he promised he wouldn’t tell anyone, as long as I let him come out here with me.” 

The tension unraveled from Dean’s shoulders. “So that’s why you two have been spending so much time together.” Aidan didn’t answer, felt that guilt crawl up his insides. Dean didn’t notice. “So… I feel like I should be freaking out. Even though I promised not to.”

“Yeah, you’re taking this better than I thought.” 

Dean jumped when Toothless nudged his head against his hand, wary, as if he was saying, “I don’t know you, but Aidan trusts you, and I trust him.” He let his fingertips settle on the top of his head. “I am not even a little bit surprised that you’ve been hiding a pet dragon,” he laughed breathlessly, looking over at Aidan in that way that made his insides go to goo. “This is exactly the kind of thing I always expected you to do.”

Aidan grinned, a bit proud of that, of the fond way Dean shared the information, and he wrapped his arms around him, and Dean lifted his head. They kissed slowly, the kind of kiss going absolutely nowhere, until they were almost numb with it, focused so clearly on the places they were touching each other: the splay of hands and the twining of tongues and the lazy thrum of hearts beating in the quiet night. 

At some point, Dean started to sway, sleepy, overwhelmed with relief and joy and perhaps a bit of disbelief. Toothless had crept back into his cave for sleep, and Aidan took Dean home, trudging through the grass back toward campus, where he tucked them into their bed away from the cold. Dean dreamed of Aidan, with dragon wings, flying. Aidan didn’t dream at all.

* * * 

“He won't bite you, Dean. He knows your smell now.”

Aidan sat on the grass with his hands in his pack, digging out the wrapped salmon he brought with him. Toothless was growing by the day, and his appetite was voracious. At this rate, the cooks at the Academy were certainly going to notice how much meat was going missing during the week. Of course, Toothless was more than capable of hunting for himself, and he was a fair swimmer; he often took to diving in the lake to retrieve fish for himself, which was just as well, considering Aidan was not any good at thieving. The cooks all seemed to feel a little suspicious of him, when he went in for lunch.

Dean lingered at the peak of the hill, where it began its descent toward the water, Toothless curled up half asleep before him, eying Aidan and the food that would soon be his. “You were standing right there then. He wasn't going to attack me with you right next to me. But _now_ you're all the way over there, and he could bite my whole hand off without even trying.”

Aidan threw him an unimpressed look. “Drakonophobe.” 

“ _What _?”__

__“You have an irrational fear of dragons.”_ _

__“What is _irrational_ about my fear of dragons?” Dean propped a hand on his hip, and Aidan did his best not to smile at the utter indignation in his face. “I go to an Academy where I've been taught for years that they are more dangerous to my health than anything else in the world, and you're telling me my fear is _irrational_.”_ _

__Aidan lifted his hands, sighing, and hopped to his feet. “Will it make you feel better if I stand next to you?” he murmured, stepping close, his chin on his shoulder, sliding his arms around his waist. “Will you feel safe then?”_ _

__“No,” Dean muttered grumpily, even as he leaned into him. “He could just eat both of us.”_ _

__“But he won't.” Aidan took Dean's hand and gave a low, sharp whistle. Toothless lifted his head. “Because he's sweet and loving. And he loves me, and I love you, so he'll trust you.”_ _

__Toothless stood patiently before them, and slowly, Dean reached out to touch his fingertips to the dragon's head, then smoothing his palm against the cool scales between his eyes. Aidan covered his hand with his own, sliding his fingers between Dean's. He huffed out a laugh and so did Dean. “See? Not so hard.”_ _

__“He's just like a cat,” Dean breathed, watching as Toothless's big golden eyes closed in bliss as they stroked his head. “He might as well be purring.”_ _

__“Mmm, I'll purr for the both of us,” Aidan teased, kissing the corner of his mouth._ _

__A crunch of leaves caught their attention, and they turned sharply, hands on sword hilts, to find Richard waving awkwardly at them, shoulders hunched, his backpack slung onto one shoulder. “Hi. How's it going?”_ _

__“Good!” Aidan relaxed immediately, beaming at him. “Great, actually.” He skipped over to hug him hello. “Dean and Toothless were just getting officially introduced.”_ _

__Richard hummed in acknowledgment, sliding a hand along his back to hug him close for a moment. “So when did you find out?” he asked Dean, using his hand on Aidan's hip to push him away._ _

__Dean stuffed his hands in his pockets, shrugging one shoulder, feeling suddenly uncomfortable for no reason he could put a finger on, like he was intruding on a secret club. “Last night. Aidan brought me down. It's good to know you two were keeping such a giant secret from me,” he scolded. “Nice one, guys.”_ _

__Aidan grinned sheepishly, and bounded back to his side, cupping his face in his hands and kissing him soundly on the mouth. “Well, you know now, and now we all have this ridiculous secret that is probably going to get us arrested so let's enjoy it while we _aren't_ wearing orange jumpsuits, shall we?” _ _

__Richard tossed him a fond, if slightly exasperated smile. “Did he take you flying?”_ _

__“Oh, no.” Dean shook his head, passing a hand in front of himself like he was swiping away the idea. “Nope. That's not going to happen. Ever.”_ _

__“Dean's scared of flying,” Aidan explained, nodding seriously, though his eyes crinkled up in a smile._ _

__“I am not scared of flying.” Dean glared at him. “I'm scared of flying on a _dragon_. There is a huge distinction to be made there.” Toothless chose that moment to nuzzle up against Dean's side. Dean did his very best not to yelp as he jumped away._ _

__Aidan chortled a little more than was strictly necessary, and even Richard ended up chuckling to himself. “You want to see him turn into an absolute kitten?” He touched a hand to Aidan's back, and Aidan handed him a large salmon, which was the dragon's favorite snack. “Here, catch.” He threw it to Dean, who caught the fish against his chest with a disgusted frown that would definitely have impressed Graham, had he seen it. Of course, he didn't keep said frown on his face for very long, since Toothless crouched low, tail switching, and in the next moment had tackled Dean to the ground, lapping the fish up into his mouth and passing his tongue across Dean's face, just to be sure he got every bit of fishy flavor._ _

__Dean shouted and pushed at him, kicking out his legs, but Toothless didn't let up until he was satisfied that he had eaten every bit of salmon that could be had, then he turned on Richard and Aidan who were doubled over laughing, holding their sides and wheezing – and who had all the fish. Dean remained curled in a ball on the ground, his hair standing on end, slicked up with dragon slobber. He lifted his head to direct a glare in their direction. “Funny. You guys are great. Honestly.”_ _

__* * *_ _

__Aidan lay out on the grass, the dragon's head resting heavy on his stomach. He ran his fingers over his scales, humming sleepily to himself in the warm mid-day sunshine. He had a feeling there was a burn starting up across his nose and cheeks, but he couldn't be bothered to care. Someone plopped down beside him, and he smiled over at Richard, lazily. “Where's Dean?”_ _

__“He stayed behind to work on footwork with Graham. I think he wants to present him as this year's Champion.”_ _

__“ _What_?” Aidan blinked at him. “But your sword work is so much stronger! Do _not_ tell him I said that.” _ _

__“It's the stylistic thing.” Richard shrugged lightly. “I'm better with one sword but he has that technique with the two short swords and I can't even begin to touch it.”_ _

__“You should ask him to train with you. Maybe he can teach you.”_ _

__“Maybe.” He shrugged again. “Do you think it would be weird?”_ _

__“Hm? What?”_ _

__“Dean and me – hanging out, I mean.”_ _

__“Why would it be weird?”_ _

__“Because of – okay, are you really going to pretend it _wouldn't_ be weird for me to hang out with your boyfriend?”_ _

__Aidan wrinkled his nose, his mouth dipping down. “Alright, yeah. But it's not like it's going to happen again, between you and me. You know that, right? It was just... a weird fluke, yeah?”_ _

__“Yeah, of course.” Richard squinted up at the sky, shielded his eyes against the sun. “I'm sorry about that, by the way.”_ _

__“Why?”_ _

__“I just – I don't know what happened there.” He ran his hand through his hair. “It wasn't supposed to happen. I was just – you know.”_ _

__“Rich, you know I like you, right?” Aidan asked, eyes soft. “It's not like I feel bad about what happened – or that I think you're a creep for something we were equally responsible for. And I _do_ like you.” _ _

__“Um. Thank you, I think. I feel there's a 'but' coming on the end of this.”_ _

__“There is.” Aidan quirked one side of his mouth up into a smile. He propped his arm behind his head. “I like you. _But_ I love Dean. And I wouldn't give that up. And I wouldn't give _you_ up so don't feel like we're suddenly not friends or something because we made out once and now feel awkward about it.” _ _

__Richard snorted out a laugh and reached over to tug one of his curls. “Alright. No awkwardness.”_ _

__* * *_ _

__They knew that Dean was _finally_ comfortable with Toothless when he offered one day to go out to feed him on his own, since Richard had a private archery lesson with Evangeline and Aidan had to make his three-times-a-month appearance in class in order to keep his instructors off his back. _ _

__“He's important to you,” Dean said as explanation. “And I can learn to _not_ piss myself whenever he gets close to me, if I know that will make you happy.” _ _

__The sky was overcast, swirling with grey clouds sure to spill rain any moment. He trudged out into the hills in his boots, toes curling in thick socks, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket. He loved this kind of weather, but wasn't sure where he was going to hide if there was a sudden downpour. Toothless had already crept out of his cave, either because he knew it was time for food or because he smelled Dean already on the wind, and sat waiting beside the water, ears pricked like an eager cat. He looked around behind him, as if expecting Aidan to come down with him._ _

__“Sorry, Toothless, no Aidan yet.” Dean patted him lightly on the head. “But don't worry. I brought you some lunch. Oh, can you smell it already? Yeah? There's some salmon in there, just for you.” He unzipped his bag, and Toothless nosed into it, snatching the parcel and trotting off toward the water with it. Dean laughed. “Well, that's one way to get fed.” He padded after him, stretching his arms above his head. Toothless had already gobbled down most of the salmon and was now lying on the grass, licking his chops and blinking serenely out at the water, watching dragonflies light on the surface and buzz away._ _

__Dean perched beside him, happy that the grass wasn't wet. The breeze smoothed cool across his face. For a moment, his blood went quiet, and he felt at peace, like his skin had lost that uncomfortable feeling of being too tight that he always seemed to have lately. He tucked his knees up under his chin and reached over to rest his hand on the dragon's head. Toothless turned his yellow eyes up to him, blinking slowly, before wiggling over to nuzzle in against his side._ _

__When Aidan and Richard came over the hill a couple hours later, they found Toothless sprawled out on the grass, his wings stretched black and enormous in the sunshine that finally pierced the late-afternoon clouds. “Where's Dean?” Aidan asked, anxiety rising like a live thing in his throat. He half-jogged down to the lake. Toothless lifted his head, let his tail sweep across the grass with joy at the sight of him. They skidded to a halt, a little laugh escaping him. “Oh, my god.”_ _

__There was Dean, dozing, almost completely blanketed by one of the dragon's large wings._ _

__“Well, I take it he has come to terms with his fear of dragons,” Richard commented, the side of his mouth twitching up into a grin._ _

__Aidan turned a beaming smile up at him. “You know what this means?”_ _

__* * *_ _

__“ _No_.” _ _

__“Come on, Dean.” Aidan squeezed his hands, swung their linked arms a little from side to side, wearing his biggest possible doe eyes. “You _saw_ how Toothless was with you. He's so protective of you. You _fell asleep_ in his presence and he didn't eat you or maim you or drag you away to hold you hostage in his cave. He protected you. So you should feel safe with him!” _ _

__“I do.” Dean hunched his shoulders up around his ears. “But – I mean. You really want me to get on the back of a dragon and let him take me flying? Will he just go wherever he wants? What if I want to get off? What if I don't like it at all and have a panic attack?”_ _

__“I'm pretty sure that's what you're doing now,” Aidan laughed gently. “Relax. I'll be right there with you. I'm not going to just send you off by yourself when you've never done it before.”_ _

__Dean's shoulders slumped suddenly, and he hung his head. “I am fighting a losing battle, aren't I?”_ _

__Aidan grinned brightly, dipped in to press a kiss to his mouth. “Yes. Come on.”_ _

__Toothless sat patiently while Aidan pushed Dean up onto his back and scrambled on after him, watching them over his shoulder with his ears pricked. His wings flexed, scales catching and lighting in the dying sun, pulsing with excitement in anticipation of his pending flight. Of course, none of them could know it, but Toothless loved to fly; the only thing he loved more was Aidan, which is why he didn't fly off right away, now that his wound was mended. He had had a human before, that he'd loved, but that human was gone now, and Aidan cared for him and brought him all the fish he could want, and all his human friends to pet him and smile at him and keep their warm bodies near his for him to nap against. So now, even though the only flying he did was with humans on his back, he appreciated the time he had in the sky._ _

__Once they were settled, and had stopped moving around and pressing their feet into his sides, and the metallic scent of Dean's fear had subsided somewhat, no doubt due to the murmuring reassurances of Aidan against his ear, Toothless flapped his wings twice so that they fanned down the grass, and with one powerful spring, leaped into the air, his wings catching the wind and propelling them toward the clouds._ _

__Aidan held his arms tight around Dean's waist, and Dean realized, with some surprise, that he wasn't screaming. His voice was lodged in his throat, and his hands were tight, cutting into the scales of the dragon's neck, his hair blowing back off his face. The land slid by below them, a watercolor blur of green and brown. “Oh my god – it's _beautiful_. Aidan,” he breathed, not realizing he was barely audible with the rush of wind in their ears. “Aidan, look at it!” _ _

__Aidan grinned, his chin hooked over his shoulder, arms curled around him. “Just wait.”_ _

__“Wait for - _oh_.” _ _

__They breached the last of the mountains, and found themselves cruising low over the sea, the sunset catching on the surface of the water, bleeding out into sherbet colors, spreading along the waves. Dean grinned so hard his face hurt, the wind bringing tears springing into his eyes, and once they came, he couldn't stop. “Oh, god. Why didn't I do this _ages_ ago?” _ _

__And Aidan suddenly felt guilt so complete that it was like a stab to the chest. “I kissed Richard,” he blurted out on a breath. Dean's shoulders went tense, the way they did before a sparring test, but he didn't say anything. The anxiety rose in Aidan's throat, and he couldn't keep the words in. “Well, I didn't really kiss him. He kissed me,” he explained, his voice edging high on a somewhat hysterical laugh. “But I kissed him back. And there was a lot of kissing. A lot of it. But just, like – it was just one day, you know? We only did it once. Because I love you. And he knows that. He knows I love you. And it was really just sort of – it was so _in the moment_ , you know? We didn't mean to do it, but then it happened, and we couldn't – I'm sorry. I'm not making any sense. Jesus.” _ _

__Dean didn't speak – didn't react at all, really. Aidan could see the line of his jaw, which had gone tense, a sharp tick starting up there. It seemed a long time before he said anything, and Aidan had to keep his tongue between his teeth in order to not keep blathering on in his nervousness. The sun set, and the stars poked holes into the sky, and still Dean didn't speak. Meanwhile, Toothless was drawn across the ocean, his heart light and happy. He hadn't been to the island since he was a baby, but he felt the pull like a physical line reeling him in._ _

__The island rose over the horizon, and Aidan and Dean stared out toward it, eyes wide. “ _Dragons_ ,” Aidan breathed out, his arms still tight around Dean's waist. “Oh, my god - _look_ at them all.”_ _

__There must have been hundreds, cruising through the air surrounding the island, barely visible in the light of the crescent moon, enormous dark shapes winging in and out of the clouds. Toothless wove in among them, thrilled to fly among his own kind. Dean leaned down, gripped his arms around the dragon's neck, resting his cheek against his scales, eyes squeezed closed. His heart pounded against his ribs, and he could feel Aidan at his back, and he knew he was murmuring against his ear, reassurances no doubt, but he couldn't hear the words._ _

__There was a great rumble, and the dragons, if they could have mid-flight, would have frozen in place. A shriek came from someplace toward the inside of the mountain, and then the dragons turned away and flew out toward the mainland, Toothless included, his wings beating fast with fear._ _

__“What's happening?” Dean yelled over the wind._ _

__“Toothless!” Aidan cried out. “Toothless, take us home!”_ _

__He wasn't sure if Toothless heard him, but they head back toward the shore, and the other dragons seemed to pay them no mind. They flew like a flock of great-winged birds, and as they neared shallow waters, more and more dove down to scoop fish up. They held their prey in their mouths like so many pelicans, and as they filled up, they turned for home. Toothless didn't follow. He cruised on, settled down by their lake. Dean stumbled off his back, heaving shallow breaths, and Aidan sat still for a long moment, his face wind-burned and eyes bright._ _

__Richard sat beside a low-burning fire, but stood up when he saw them, jogging over toward them. He caught Dean just as his legs started to go weak. “Jesus. What _happened_?”_ _

__“There were so many dragons, Rich!” Aidan jumped down, his grin bright. “You should have seen it. It was _incredible_ \- an entire island, miles out into the sea, full of dragons. God, it was so beautiful. Toothless must have been born there. He flew us right out there, like he knew exactly where it was. Oh, Jesus, I wish you had been there.” _ _

__“There was a _thing_ there,” Dean cut in. “I don't know what it was. It couldn't have been a dragon. They were all terrified of it. They flew off as soon as it made a sound.”_ _

__“Yes!” Aidan ran his hands through his hair, ecstatic. “They were hunting for it, bringing it food. I think Toothless felt the pull of it too. The only reason he didn't join them was because we were there.” He shook his head, took a deep breath. “It makes so much _sense_. Don't you see? This problem with the dragons began because they were stealing our livestock! They're not doing it for themselves; they're under the control of a bigger creature that they're scared of. If we can _kill_ it, we can fix everything! We can change how we deal with dragons!” _ _

__“Aidan,” Richard said sharply, even as he carefully sat Dean down on the hillside. “I get that you're excited. I _know_ how important this is to you. But right now you need to _calm down_. Can you not see how freaked out Dean is?” _ _

__Aidan blinked at him, then at Dean, and his shoulders slumped. “I'm sorry,” he murmured, ashamed. “Oh, god. Dean, I'm so sorry.” He sat down next to him, curled an arm around his shoulders. “Jesus, I was supposed to be showing you how much _fun_ it was to fly, not to scare you more.” _ _

__“It's fine.” Dean took a deep breath, his hands shaking only slightly. “It's fine. I get it. We have to do something. Even Toothless was scared.”_ _

__“It's going to take an army,” Richard pointed out. “Fighting dragons is difficult enough, but fighting something that dragons _fear_? We're going to need something bigger than just the three of us.”_ _

__“We can do it! We've got Toothless with us.”_ _

__“Yeah, but one dragon against a whole _pack_ of them?” Dean asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “And we don't know what kind of power that thing has over them. It could be they have to obey him. What if they turn on us as soon as we get there?”_ _

__“They won't! Not if we show them that we're there to help him. It was easy to earn Toothless's trust.”_ _

__“That's because Toothless was raised by a human,” Richard put in. “He knew he could trust humans, especially when they were willing to feed him.”_ _

__“And even Toothless turned tail and did exactly what the creature wanted as soon as it called. We have no idea what he might do if we flew in on his back and the thing took over.”_ _

__“Why are you guys being so pessimistic about this?” Aidan pushed himself to his feet, his shoulders set. “We can't just sit here and not do anything because it will be difficult. Toothless needs us, and so do the dragons. And think – if we can succeed at this, everything will change. Dragons and humans can live in peace.”_ _

__“We're just being realistic, Aidan. It's going to take a lot.” Richard touched his shoulder. “We'll do what we can, but we've got to think practically about this. At the very least, let's sleep on it.”_ _

__Aidan shrugged him off, his eyebrows drawn low. “I'm going home. You guys figure it out yourselves, since you seem to think so much more _practically_ than I do.” He slid his bag onto his back in short, jerky motions, stomping off toward the academy._ _

__“He'll cool off.” Richard stuffed his hands into his pocket, watching him walk away. “In the meantime, we should probably think of some options, at least to put him at ease about it.”_ _

__Dean hummed. “Glad one of us knows him well enough to know what to do.” The words stung, and Richard knew, with them said, that Dean knew what had happened between him and Aidan. Dean stood up. “Well, come on. Let's go home.”_ _

__* * *_ _

__Aidan was asleep (or at least pretending to be) when Dean crept into the room, and was gone when he woke up. He didn't think about it much; Aidan was probably still angry, and had certainly gone off to spend the morning with Toothless so he didn't have to talk to them. So Dean got ready and headed off for class, strapping his swords to his back as he went._ _

__“How was Aidan this morning?” Richard asked when he arrived on the field._ _

__Dean sat on the ground to lace up his boots, shrugging his shoulders. “He wasn't there. I figured he went out to see Toothless. He's probably still angry with us.”_ _

__“Yeah, I imagine we're not his favorite people right now. But we'll figure it out. I'm sure there's a way we can help the dragons that _won't_ get us killed.” He was quiet for a long moment, looking out toward the hills. “You don't think he's going to do anything stupid, do you?” _ _

__“What do you mean?”_ _

__“I mean. This is a man who found a dragon and, instead of killing it as we're trained to, kept it as a pet. You don't think he might just go out and do whatever he's going to?”_ _

__Dean winced. “I think that's exactly what he might do.”_ _

__And of course they didn't know it, but Aidan was at that moment clasping his quiver onto his back and slinging his bow across it. Toothless was lying somewhat serenely at the edge of the water, his great yellow eyes drooping. Every now and then, he licked his chops, and his tongue curled big on a yawn behind it that he couldn't suppress. But Aidan didn't notice his dragon's pleasant doze in the sun, how happy he was to lounge in the long grass near the water with his human nearby._ _

__Toothless made an offended noise in his throat when Aidan dropped unceremoniously onto his back. “Come on, boy,” he murmured, patting his neck. “We've got to go. We're going to save the dragons – you and me.” He almost thought the dragon understood him, if the bristling of his scales was anything to go by, his eyes gone narrow when they looked at him over his shoulder. “Don't worry. I'll look after you. We'll take care of each other. Now come on.” He dug his heels into his sides, and Toothless stretched his wings, letting them shudder out and settle before pushing himself firmly off the ground and into the air._ _

__The sky was dark with clouds, thunder rolling in off the horizon, and Aidan was sure it would rain any moment. He didn't stop to think about it. Perhaps it would only aid him, put out the dragon-fire, keep him, and Toothless, as safe as possible. But he didn't have a plan, and he knew that no matter what, he had to succeed at this – for sake of the dragons, and of the people who were dying protecting themselves from creatures that wouldn't be a threat if they weren't threatened themselves._ _

__He closed his eyes against the pierce of the wind, and Toothless flew on._ _

__* * *_ _

__Dean and Richard stumbled down the rain-slick hills into the valley, hoods pulled low over their faces. They knew, even before they ducked into the shelter of Toothless's cave that the dragon wasn't here, and neither was Aidan. Dean shoved his hood back, rubbed his fingers through his wet hair, flicking flecks of water against the walls. “What do we do now? We can't very well follow him without our own dragon.”_ _

__“Well, we have to go over the sea.” Richard chewed thoughtfully at his lip, squinting out at the lake, the small raindrop grenades exploding on the surface. “We need a boat – a small ship, preferably. But the water is going to be rough. It will take us a long time to get there.”_ _

__Dean set his jaw. “We're going to have to try, regardless. We can't let him go fight what is potentially an entire island full of aggressive dragons by himself. Where can we get a boat?”_ _

__“Adam's father is a fisherman. Maybe we can talk him into letting us borrow his boat.”_ _

__It turned out they couldn't. Adam's father refused to allow his meal-ticket out into the rough storm waters, not that Richard could blame him. But Dean didn't much care one way or the other, and as soon as they left his house, he trudged his way back down to the docks. “I know we couldn't very well tell him why we really needed it,” he said, even as he untied it from the dock and pushed out into the water, reaching out for Richard's arms to pull him in after him. “But I'm sure, if we are to sink it, he wouldn't begrudge us trying to save Aidan.”_ _

__“Even so, let's do our very best _not_ to sink it.” Richard ducked into the small cabin, Dean close behind him, shielded from the rain. “I don't think, even if we make it there, that Toothless could get all of us back. You wouldn't happen to know the way?”_ _

__“We were flying due west from the lake, when we found it.” Dean hugged himself, shivering now that he was out of the rain and felt the wetness especially badly. “So I imagine if we struck a course maybe just southwest, we could make it. It's not a small island. Even if we're not dead-on, we can't miss it.”_ _

__Richard hummed thoughtfully, gunning the engine with the key Dean had nicked from the Browns' garage. “I wonder, if it's that noticeable, how no one has thought to go looking for it before?” The boat lurched as he inexpertly put it out into deeper water, and they lost their balance, stumbling. Dean caught himself against the wall, and caught Richard with an arm around his back. They smiled sheepishly at each other. “Sorry. I've never driven a boat before.”_ _

__“You're doing better than I would,” Dean commented. They were quiet for a long time, watching the water through the rain pattering against the plastic windscreen. “Maybe someone _has_ found the island before?” he said eventually, words slow. “Someone who fears dragons much more than Aidan does and misunderstood what was happening – or understood it differently.”_ _

__“What do you mean?”_ _

__“Well, if someone hates dragons, wouldn't they just think whatever that monster is in there is just a very big dragon? And that the rest of the dragons do its bidding, not out of fear, but because it's their superior – an alpha dragon, or king of dragons, or something? That they aren't afraid, they're just respectful. So nothing's been done because nothing can easily be done. They're assuming that the other dragons would defend their king.”_ _

__“Well, I hope that's not the case.” Richard turned his gaze to Dean, his eyes striking blue beneath the wet mane of his dark hair. “Because if it _is_ , Aidan and Toothless are probably already dead.” _ _

__They had both been thinking it, but hearing it said out loud, hanging in the space between them, sucked the air from between them, left them momentarily unable to breathe. Lightning cracked the sky in half, and Dean turned his gaze out toward it, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a smile. “I am going to go against everything I've ever been taught about dragons and assume that that's not the case.”_ _

__Richard chuckled, shaking his head. “And to think, just a few weeks ago, you screamed if Toothless so much as sniffed you.”_ _

__“I did not _scream_. How very dare you!” Dean scolded, even with his voice edged high on pent-up giggles. “It was very dignified squeaking, that's all. He just startled me. He's very big, you know.”_ _

__“And he's only going to get bigger,” Richard pointed out. “He's only adolescent. Can you imagine how he'll look a meter longer and with his teeth exposed?”_ _

__“No one will ever mess with Aidan. He'd just turn out his pet dragon on them. We should probably continue our friendship with him, in that case. We'll have a giant reptilian bodyguard at all times.”_ _

__“Well, you're set on that front, aren't you? Honestly, the whole Academy knows you're going to end up married or something.”_ _

__Dean's face shuttered at that, and he studied Richard's profile. “You think so?” he asked quietly. “Even now, I mean.”_ _

__Richard bit the side of his tongue in chastisement. “It's never changed, you know – the way he feels about you.” He didn't meet his eyes, kept his attention focused on the compass on the dashboard, his fingers white-knuckled on the steering wheel. “And I wouldn't ever want it to; I'd never ask that of either of you.”_ _

__“Even if it meant you were able to be with him?”_ _

__“I don't _want_ to be with him.” He paused. “Well, I do. But that makes it all sound too simple.” _ _

__“What do you mean?”_ _

__“Ever since we started at the Academy, and the two of you were pretty much stitched together from the start, like you'd each replaced half of yourself with half of the other, you just – you catch attention, you know what I mean? Not in a bad way, at all. You're beautiful – both of you, together.” His mouth twitched. “I didn't even know that I wanted to be with either of you. I just wanted to be _around_ you. You're both so brave and honest and perfectly sure of yourselves, and sure of each other.” His teeth clicked together, and he swallowed hard. “The only reason I regret kissing Aidan was that I put doubt in you about him, and about his feelings for you. If I had the chance to do it over, I wouldn't, because you've looked so sad ever since.” _ _

__Dean ran his hand through his hair, sagging back against the wall. He was beginning to feel sticky and a little feverish, and wished he could get out of his wet clothes sooner than later. The rain was starting to let up, just in time for the setting sun to back-light the clouds, piercing them with gold and purple and red. “I've never doubted Aidan, even when we weren't really a _thing_. We always just seemed so inevitable that I never really thought I had to worry. And then you came along, and I realized that – well, the Academy isn't everything. Aidan is going to go so many places and meet so many people, and he could leave the Academy and leave me behind and I don't know that I would blame him.” _ _

__“I would.”_ _

__“You can't emotionally blackmail someone into loving you.”_ _

__“If you don't see the way Aidan looks at you, then you're not looking – and if he _wasn't_ looking at you that way, I would say there was something really wrong with his eyes.”_ _

__“So the guy who made out with my boyfriend is now defending my honor _from_ said boyfriend.” Dean snorted. “It's almost like you want to be kissing _me_ instead of him.”_ _

__“I want to be kissing both of you,” Richard said simply. “And when I'm not kissing either of you, I want you to be kissing each other.”_ _

__Dean blinked at him. “Where did shy Richard go?”_ _

__“Hm?”_ _

__“You know, the guy who used to blush when he'd run into us in the bathroom? And, as far as anyone knew, had never had a conversation with anyone _ever_ in his entire time at the Academy?”_ _

__Richard smiled at him, lifted one thin shoulder in a shrug, and looked somehow more boyish than his sharp face usually allowed. “He met a dragon. It's hard to stay scared of people when you can't be scared of dragons anymore.”_ _

__Silence filled the space between them again, comfortably, and Dean didn't feel the need to fill it, even as he found himself looking at Richard with new eyes – suddenly not a rival, just a man who cared for the same man he did._ _

__It wasn’t as if Dean didn’t like Richard; he and Aidan had often talked (and sometimes joked) about how much they would like to lure him into bed with them. He was handsome, with keen eyes and, despite his shyness, a solid comfort in the long, slim lines of his body, moving with a grace most people as tall as Richard don’t have. Dean had more than once thought about what he might look like naked, spread out on a bed, his fair skin flushed, and Aidan had more than once whispered dirty things into his ear in just that vein, suggestions of inviting him into their bed, his grin wicked._ _

__But those thoughts had always been idle, thoughts to get off to, to tease each other about when Richard stood in the center of the arena in fighting stance, looking every bit of the warrior that he was, with his shoulders set, and his knees and elbows relaxed. Dean had always loved Aidan, and had never thought about the possibility of being able to love someone else. He always thought loving Aidan meant that there was no room to love anyone else._ _

__Right now, all Dean felt was calm, his blood soothed by the presence of Richard beside him, knowing that someone who loved Aidan was also here, as determined as he was to reach him, to find him and make sure he was safe – to the point that he didn't blink an eye at the casual thievery of their friend's father's boat. Richard broke him out of this sleepy thoughts, nodding toward the horizon. “Do you see something there? It's like a blotch in the sky. I can't tell what it is; the cloud cover is too thick.”_ _

__Dean pushed himself off the wall and out onto the deck, sliding slightly on the wet surface. He shielded his eyes from the slight drizzle that remained, and distinctly caught the movement of wings. “It's Toothless!” he shouted back to Richard, and waved his arms to catch the dragon's attention, shouting and whistling, hoping that his excellent hearing would pick up the sound, and that Aidan was with him. Sure enough, Toothless swooped down toward them, low enough for Aidan to jump onto the deck, but he didn't jump so much as slide off his back, landing half in Dean's outstretched arms, and half in a pile on the wood, letting out a soft sob of pain._ _

__Richard cut the engine and slip-slid out to them, kneeling beside them where Dean cradled Aidan's head in his arms. “He has a fever,” Dean murmured, touching his face. “Aidan, you're wounded. Where is the wound?”_ _

__“My leg.” He pressed his face against Dean's stomach, his hands gripping tightly to his arms. “Burned, I think. I've been too sick to look. Toothless was going as fast as he could. Where is he?”_ _

__“Heading home, I think.” Richard spared a glance after him, watched him wheel back toward them for a moment before beating his way off toward the hills and his cave. “He knows we've got you. I'm going to take a look at your leg, alright? It's going to hurt.” He didn't get far in peeling his trouser-leg back, before he had to give up with a grimace, especially when Aidan started sobbing in earnest, his consciousness slipping with the pain. “No, we've got to get him to hospital. His skin's burned right off.”_ _

__“Shit,” Dean breathed. He jerked his head toward the cabin. “Alright, I've got him. Go!”_ _

__* * *_ _

__A sword clattered down in front of Dean, and he looked up into Richard's tired face. “Want to spar?”_ _

__“Not really.” He shook his head slowly. “How's Aidan?”_ _

__“Still asleep. The doctor said he was lucky. If the burns had gone untreated much longer, he probably would have lost the leg.” He unsheathed his own sword, swiped it across the air in several aggressive, stressed swings, not the careful, precise sword-work Richard usually displayed. The stars had emerged from the clouds, and even sitting outside the brightly-lit hospital, they punched light out into the dark sky. “I need to know what happened out there. If the dragons turned on him – well, he'd be dead, wouldn't he? So would Toothless.”_ _

__Dean hummed, toeing at the sword until he got his ankle under it, using his foot to lift it close enough to his hand that he could take hold of the hilt. “Something caught him.” He pushed himself to his feet, sword in hand, and touched the blade to Richard's, let the steel sing together before stepping back far enough to spread his legs into a proper stance. “You know I fight better with my short-swords.”_ _

__“I know. That's why I only brought you a long-sword.” Richard grinned at him. “I needed it to be a fair fight.”_ _

__“Afraid I'll beat you?”_ _

__“I know you would have. Now – well, we'll see.”_ _

__They went to it then, sharp clashes of their weapons ringing out into the quiet night, their feet sliding in the wet grass of the hospital courtyard, quiet but for the huff of their breath and the shriek of their swords. Dean's footwork was better, because he was small and it served him to be quick, and he ducked easily beneath Richard's powerful swings, which sliced sound from the air, and would have sent a weaker, less disciplined man reeling. They were evenly matched, and neither of them had fought so well with another in a long time. They didn't speak again, not while they fought, not until their knees were stained with grass and their faces were flushed, and they had sunk onto the bench, leaning their heads back against the wall, catching their breaths._ _

__“Who won then?” Richard grinned over at him, touching his knuckles to Dean's wrist._ _

__“I'm pretty sure neither of us did.” Dean laughed, closing his eyes. “We both just ended up collapsed on the ground like rag dolls.” He leaned his head forward, rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “We should check on Aidan.”_ _

__“We should.”_ _

__“I'm sort of... nervous. What if things are different?”_ _

__“What do you mean?”_ _

__“I've...” He shrugged vaguely. “I mean, I've barely spoken to Aidan since he told me what happened between you. And I'm not – well, I'm sort of angry with him about it, still, but in a different kind of way.”_ _

__“What kind of way?”_ _

__“Well, I was thinking about how much I hated that he kissed you, and then I was just thinking about kissing you, and I figure – well, how can I be angry with him about it if I want to do it too?” Dean turned his eyes on him, and Richard would have sworn, in an awful soppy way, that they caught the starlight. “What do you think?”_ _

__“I think that you need to talk to Aidan.” Richard rubbed his thumb along the line of Dean's jaw. “But I think about kissing you a lot too – which makes it even _more_ important that you talk to Aidan.” _ _

__Of course, they didn't talk about it, not for a long while. Aidan spent a lot of time lying in bed, blinking slowly at them through painkillers, and Dean rubbed his fingertips along the inside of his wrist, and Richard sat beside him, and they chatted with him, even though they weren't sure he was totally conscious, and he sometimes closed his fingers around Dean's hand, and he let him hold it._ _

__A few days later, he had passed out of the fear of infection and possible amputation, and though still hazy with painkillers, but slightly more focused, and at least able to tell them what happened. “It wasn't like I thought I was going to go out there and kill the thing on my own,” he mumbled, shrugging his shoulders as well as he could with them mashed up against the pillows on his hospital bed. “I figured once I got there, the dragons would fight with me.”_ _

__“Did they?” Dean asked, pressing his lips to Aidan's knuckles._ _

__“No.” Aidan laughed hoarsely. “They fled as soon as I neared the mountain. I think Toothless wanted to go too but I wouldn't let him.” He winced. “I can't believe I made him fly into the face of something he feared the most.”_ _

__“He must have trusted you,” Richard pointed out. “Or at least loves you enough to have been willing to die for you.”_ _

__“Probably the latter.” Aidan nodded. “Anyway, I got close enough to see it: it was – it was just this _massive_ thing. It looked like a dragon, I supposed, but it was seven or eight times Toothless's size. Totally red. I took a shot at him, right off, because he was sleeping when I found him. Caught him in the neck, must've been just under the scale, because he was rather cross with me from that point.” He giggled quietly to himself for a moment, almost hysterically. _ _

__“Is that when he burned you?” Dean pressed gently._ _

__Aidan hummed a confirmation. “We had turned tail to run and he caught my leg, and probably half of Toothless's side, but I checked him for injuries and didn't see anything. Maybe dragons can't hurt other dragons with fire, I don't know. Anyway, he flew up after us, and Toothless wheeled around; I don't know why, and I figured, if we were flying straight at this thing, I either had to shoot or we were going to die.” He grinned proudly. “I got lucky, I think. Caught it in the eye. It went right down. One little arrow.”_ _

__Dean found himself laughing before he could help himself. “You _think_ you got lucky? You're the luckiest arsehole that's ever lived.” _ _

__“But I saved the dragons.” His smile was bright. “I'll take lucky any day.”_ _

__* * *_ _

__“How is Toothless?” Aidan asked, not for the first time, as they helped him hobble around the hospital courtyard._ _

__“Fine. Getting fat.” Dean grinned at him. “He won't let us fly him, you know. So he just doesn't fly. He does a lot of sulking and moping, and staring at the hills waiting for you to walk over them, as usual.”_ _

__“We keep hoping that he's going to start loving us more because we're the ones who feed him now.” Richard shook his head. “But no dice. I'm pretty sure he thinks you're dead.”_ _

__“I'll be out of here in a couple days. Maybe we can go see him?”_ _

__“We'll see how well you're walking,” Dean suggested. “Last thing you need is a giant dragon knocking you over from excitement.”_ _

__They sat down in the garden, with the sun shining down on their shoulders, and Aidan leaned his head on Dean's shoulder. Dean kissed his hair, then frowned up at Richard, who stood before them with his hands in his pockets. “There's something I should probably mention.” He gnawed on his lips for a moment. “I told Graham what happened – about the island. He and some of the other instructors led an expedition out there yesterday.”_ _

__Aidan sat up straighter. “ _What_? What happened?” _ _

__“It was just like you thought it would be.” Richard quirked the corner of his mouth up into a smile. “The dragons weren't exactly friendly, but they were curious, and certainly not aggressive. I told them to take fish with them, and I guess the dragons were pretty happy to accept it.”_ _

__“So what does this mean?” Dean squinted at him through the sunshine._ _

__“It means Aidan was right. The dragons aren't evil. It – I mean, things might not change for a long time, but no one can deny that what we found is real.”_ _

__“Unless they kill us all,” Aidan quipped. “So I can stop hiding Toothless?”_ _

__“I don't know. I just know things are going to be different. They'll want to see you – Ian and Evangeline and Graham – when you're healed.”_ _

__“Of course they will.” Aidan blew a curl out of his face. His hair was getting long, partially from the long hospital stay, partially because of his utter apathy about it. It suited him regardless, the halo of curls around his face. “I have a less pressing question – or a more pressing one.” At Richard's quirked eyebrow, he grinned cheekily. “So how long have you guys been a thing?”_ _

__They stared at him, startled. “Um,” Dean broke the silence, glanced sideways at Richard. “We aren't.”_ _

__“Come on. You guys are ridiculously soppy about each other. I can see it without even looking for it.” Aidan squeezed Dean's hand. “I'm not angry or anything. I mean, I certainly won't complain.” Some insecurity lurked at the back of his eyes. “At least – as long as you both don't just do away with me.” He looked down at his lap, stroked Dean's fingertips. “I wouldn't blame you, of course. I put you both in a really awkward position, and then things got so hectic, and I didn't – I'm so sorry about everything.”_ _

__“Well, this took an odd turn,” Richard laughed suddenly. “I have never in the world heard you sound so uncomfortable.”_ _

__“Richard and I have talked a lot about kissing,” Dean said very seriously, the juxtaposition comical itself. “A lot about it.”_ _

__“We've talked about pretty much nothing else,” Richard confirmed._ _

__“And usually when we talk about kissing,” Dean continued, “we talk about how we'd like to kiss each other – and also, how very nice it is to kiss you.”_ _

__Aidan looked at him, almost shyly, and then smiled brightly, like he couldn't help himself. “Well, as long as we're all clear on that.”_ _

__Fin._ _


End file.
